Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum

Specific Families and Genera => Pleione and Orchidaceae => Topic started by: mark smyth on May 20, 2012, 06:03:05 PM

Title: Multiplying terrestrial orchids
Post by: mark smyth on May 20, 2012, 06:03:05 PM
Is it only Dactylorhiza that can be multiplied by removing the new tuber in July?
Title: Re: Multiplying terrestrial orchids
Post by: Neil on May 20, 2012, 07:42:23 PM
No

See here

http://forum.terrorchid.org/viewtopic.php?t=153 (http://forum.terrorchid.org/viewtopic.php?t=153)

Title: Re: Multiplying terrestrial orchids
Post by: mark smyth on May 20, 2012, 07:52:03 PM
THanks for the link
Title: Re: Multiplying terrestrial orchids
Post by: Neil on May 20, 2012, 09:32:13 PM
Mark 

Also you can do it in the Autumn this is from a German Forum, i have used Google translate


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RATE Ophrys multiplication
" on 27.Oct.08 at 15:43 clock »

If you have an Ophrys, but I would like to have two, one can proceed as follows.

When waiting until late fall to the rosette is almost finished and the plant has produced clear roots:

[attachimg=3]
Bottom left on the stalk still sees the short shoots, on which the new bulb is formed. The roots are already quite well developed. The old bulb is bent downwards and somewhat difficult to see.

You put a cut just above the old corm, without the roots, and certainly not to hurt the little new shoot:

[attachimg=4]

The plant in this picture is rotated so that the new shoot of the old plant is visible right now.
Both interfaces are sprinkled with activated charcoal to reduce the risk of infection and planted roses and old corm normally again. The old corm hold little drier!
Both parts of the plant to form new tubers, the rosette of the new shoot, the old corm from the interface, below which are still growing points for new life after such a disaster.

The plant is covered by fungal hyphae (these white threads) that protects against rot Ophrys. The fungus requires a lot of natural organic matter in the substrate to life. (To prevent the rotting away of the tuber) cultivation in pure mineral substrates is a mistake!
Title: Re: Multiplying terrestrial orchids
Post by: Neil on May 20, 2012, 09:43:41 PM
They also go on to say that this process can be used for Orchis, Himatoglossum and other winter green species ], I haven;t given this a try but will do so this year as I don't have much success doing it in the spring. 
Title: Re: Multiplying terrestrial orchids
Post by: Neil on May 20, 2012, 10:39:10 PM
Mark

Also Platanthera, Gymnadenia and Nigritella can as be done the same as Dactylorhiza and regarding the timing of when to do it, it needs to be done just before it throws its flower spike up, and then try and keep it green as long as possible.  Personnel I only do this every other year so that the tubers get to a decent size.
Title: Re: Multiplying terrestrial orchids
Post by: mark smyth on May 20, 2012, 10:46:04 PM
Thanks for all the info. The reason I asked is a friend has told me he has Orchis mascula in his garden and was willing to send some tubers to me.
Title: Re: Multiplying terrestrial orchids
Post by: mark smyth on July 08, 2012, 09:30:24 PM
I just lifted this self sown Dactylorhiza that flowered for the first time this year
marksgardenplants.com/dactylorhiza%20under%20birch.html (http://marksgardenplants.com/dactylorhiza%20under%20birch.html) and was amazed to find 4 tubers at the base of the single stem. If this plant continues like this every year I'll be very happy.
Title: Re: Multiplying terrestrial orchids
Post by: annew on July 09, 2012, 11:38:34 AM
A timely reminder, Mark, thanks.
Title: Re: Multiplying terrestrial orchids
Post by: Maggi Young on July 09, 2012, 11:40:03 AM
Dacts just coming into flower here in Aberdeen -it'll be a while before we think of doing any splitting on them here.
Title: Re: Multiplying terrestrial orchids
Post by: mark smyth on July 09, 2012, 02:46:57 PM
mine are mostly finished flowering now
Title: Re: Multiplying terrestrial orchids
Post by: mark smyth on August 05, 2012, 07:20:27 PM
I just had a sneaky peek at one of my Dactylorhizas that had the new tuber removed in July. I'm happy to see a new thumbnail sized tuber.

Also another Dactylorhiza has new noses above ground already. Too wet? Doesnt know what season it is?
Title: Re: Multiplying terrestrial orchids
Post by: mark smyth on August 05, 2012, 07:30:33 PM
Why cant orchid suppliers sell plants like these rather than the whizzened tubers that arrive in a plastic bag and nothing else. My swaps always go out in damp multipurpose compost or leaf mould
Title: Re: Multiplying terrestrial orchids
Post by: mark smyth on August 05, 2012, 11:13:21 PM
I just had a sneaky peek at one of my Dactylorhizas that had the new tuber removed in July. I'm happy to see a new thumbnail sized tuber.

The new tuber is growing on the side opposite to where I removed the new tuber. Does this mean all Dactylorhiza are capable of producing two or more tubers?
Title: Re: Multiplying terrestrial orchids
Post by: mark smyth on August 09, 2012, 11:20:23 AM
Maren I lifted your Dactylorhiza today
Title: Re: Multiplying terrestrial orchids
Post by: Maren on August 09, 2012, 05:21:30 PM
Hi Mark,
that's great news. I look forward to it. :) :) :)

Would you like a pleione in exchange? I don't have any fancy Dactylorhizas. :'(
Title: Re: Multiplying terrestrial orchids
Post by: SteveC2 on September 09, 2012, 04:27:10 PM
Just had a very nice surpirse!  One of the last dacts to go over was a D. praetermissa.  When I removed it from the pot I found three nice tubers for next year, but then I noticed two tiny shoots in amongst the root ball.  Baby dacts thinks I!  Then as I started to inspect the compost I realised that they were everywhere.  Now I have had dact seedlings before, but usually in pots where I have not noticed them until they were a lot bigger than these.  In a perfect world I suppose that I woud have left well alone, but it was too late for that, so they've gone back into the same pot, same compost and now the wait begins.  Will they survive?  I'll keep you posted.

Photo 1 two of the full grown tubers.
Photo 2 spot the babies.
Photo 3 babies galore.

Just a thought, they look like orchids but are they?
Title: Re: Multiplying terrestrial orchids
Post by: Botanica on September 09, 2012, 04:38:01 PM
What a nice suprise...great !

I have some germination last year but it's difficult to have.
Title: Re: Multiplying terrestrial orchids
Post by: Maren on September 09, 2012, 11:58:16 PM
Steve,
that was lucky. Congratulations. :) :) :)
Title: Re: Multiplying terrestrial orchids
Post by: Maggi Young on September 10, 2012, 10:14:44 AM
Quote
Photo 3 babies galore.

 Aww, shucks! Babies are so cute - and that's a whole bunch of cute babies - Congrats Steve  ;)
Title: Re: Multiplying terrestrial orchids
Post by: SteveC2 on September 10, 2012, 01:42:41 PM
I'm a little puzzled by all these congratulations!  It's not as if I've had a baby, (now that would be something).  These are self sown seedlings, found by accident. ;D
I just thought that people might be interested in seeing these critters at such a small stage.  Certainly I will be more careful in collecting and spreading my dact seed in future, and more careful when I repot.
But thanks anyway, a proud father. :o
Title: Re: Multiplying terrestrial orchids
Post by: mark smyth on September 10, 2012, 06:18:14 PM
very exciting! Makes me wonder how many are destroyed while repotting and weeding.

Two well know N Irish gardeners, MG and BG, never have seedling Dactylorhizas despite gardening for a very long time. One is a prolific mulcher and the other is a prolific weeder
Title: Re: Multiplying terrestrial orchids
Post by: mark smyth on September 28, 2012, 12:02:32 AM
In July I removed the two new tubers from my variegated Dactylorhiza fuchsii and replanted the mother plant.

Tony posting about his success with Eskimo Nell prompted me to have a look and see what my plant had done. Two new tubers! Because the tuber is still healthy I've potted the plant and put the pot in my sand plunge

Tuber 1 is growing beside the scar caused by removing the tuber in July. Makes me wonder who many dormant tubers are available. I think I'll experiment next year and remove a tuber in early May and see how big the new tuber is in July or August and remove it again.

Tuber 2 is growing upside down
Title: Re: Multiplying terrestrial orchids
Post by: Maren on September 28, 2012, 08:32:25 AM
That's very interesting, Mark. I may try to do the same.  :)
Title: Re: Multiplying terrestrial orchids
Post by: mark smyth on October 21, 2012, 11:36:26 PM
Yesterday I was going through some pots with Dactylorhiza I repotted after removing the new tubers. One had produced three small new tubers
Title: Re: Multiplying terrestrial orchids
Post by: Anthony Darby on October 22, 2012, 01:03:05 AM
Aww, shucks! Babies are so cute - and that's a whole bunch of cute babies - Congrats Steve  ;)
Are these seedlings or offsets?
Title: Re: Multiplying terrestrial orchids
Post by: Torsten Junker on November 08, 2012, 07:08:54 PM
I've been lifting and dividing some of my Dactys today... they seem to have mutiplied reasonably well!
To give an idea of scale, the label is 15cm/6", some tubers after division and a couple of tubers before division:

I am (and have been for a couple years) desperately searching for D. 'Eskimo Nell', can anyone point me in the direction of somewhere that offers it? Does anyone have it?
Title: Re: Multiplying terrestrial orchids
Post by: Michael J Campbell on November 08, 2012, 09:25:21 PM
I may have a spare Eskimo Nell next summer. Have given quite a few away so will have to wait and seed what comes in the spring.
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